


Growing Pains

by hongse



Series: You smell like snow [2]
Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Violence, Miya has abandonment issues, Miya's POV, Mutual Pining, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Polyamory, Scent Kink, Scent Marking, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Threesome - M/M/M, True Mates, alpha!Reki, beta!Langa, omega!Miya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:47:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hongse/pseuds/hongse
Summary: Nobody died from growing up, they said.Miya isn't that sure of it anymore.Caught between his growing feelings for Reki and Langa - happily bonded and yet always eager to keep him around - and his constant fear of behind left behind, Miya navigates the ups and downs (mostly downs) of being a teenager on the verge of a hormonal breakdown.or,a tale of three idiots being truemates and, somehow, having a hard time noticing it.
Relationships: Chinen Miya/Hasegawa Langa, Chinen Miya/Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki, Chinen Miya/Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Series: You smell like snow [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184729
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> Henlo ♥  
> If you come from part one, welcome back! I just wanted to put out there that this was the original concept for the series and it was meant to be way more angsty overall. This is why this part might sound a bit different – but as you can tell from the tags, this is still a safe place and everyone will have their happy ending! Being Miya’s POV, it is going to be a tad extra dramatic, but I think the rest of the series will be more light-hearted.
> 
> If you aren’t going to read part one, just a few notes: this takes place a couple of years after the anime, alpha!Reki and beta!Langa are happily together, so are alpha!Kaoru and alpha!Koujiro (although they do not appear here). Also, it is a pretty chill ABO dynamic, gender inequalities and all that stuff are a thing from the past and modern medicine makes everybody’s life easy and fun. You can bond with whatever gender you like and you can have, uhm, polybonding relationships I guess? :”) Meaning, an A/B/O bond is something you should probably see coming, unless you’re one of these idiots. 
> 
> Also, I used the expression ‘gender reveal’ at some point and it literally gave me the creeps. LOL
> 
> Please enjoy our disaster OT3 being...well, a disaster ♥

« _What would you like for your birthday, Miya?_ »

A fairly innocent question, coming from the gang’s even more innocent surrogate father figure. Kojiro didn’t mean any harm by that – he hardly meant any harm _at all_ , in general – and he had grown especially fond of Miya over the last few years. Miya suspected it had something to do with Reki and Langa bonding and Kojiro’s subsequent desire, unconscious or not, to let him know he would never be alone again, not even when half of your friends were pairing up like in the trashiest Omega rom-com. 

Miya sighed nonetheless.

He didn’t want his birthday to come, ever; unless it could suddenly become his 19th or 20th or perhaps 25th, just make sure, one of those birthdays _after_ presenting (it was extremely rare to be still waiting for a gender reveal after that, and Miya had always been an early bloomer anyway). Miya was fine with either never knowing his secondary gender or get done with it and find out what brand of misery was waiting for his future self; what he was _not_ fine with was blowing up yet another string of candles, one step closer to the big reveal, but still stuck in his current agonising limbo.

« A new cat jumper. » he said, instead.

Kojiro gave him a gentle smile from the other side of the counter. 

« Perhaps you could go window shopping with the kids today. None of us would ever dare to pick clothes for you. »

« _The kids_ are basically adults. » Miya rebutted, without much heat « And I think they’re busy today, anyway. »

« Have you asked? »

« If I ask, Reki would say they _aren’t_ even if it isn’t true. » Miya rolled his eyes « You know how he is. He’d feel sorry for turning me down. And Langa would follow him because, well, _it’s Langa_. »

He left the restaurant after a second round of strawberry ice cream with actual strawberries on top. Kojiro’s last comment was still echoing in his head.

_‘Your friends would rather spend time with you than doing something else. I see, it does sound terrible.’_

* * *

Miya wasn’t always that childish. Actually, he had slowly but steadily let go of his bratty attitude, at least when it really mattered. His personality still reminded of a pre-coffee Pallas cat on a Monday morning, and yet, all those sharp edges – made even sharper by certain events from his past – had been smoothed, little by little, hopeless against his friends’ warmth. His banter with Reki was still going strong, but there was an undeniable undercurrent of affection behind it. And Miya did, occasionally, pout at Langa’s frankly unfair skating skills, although it was mostly a confused, timid attempt at asking him to train together.

Because the one thing that _did not_ change and actually got worse was the fear of losing those two idiots. 

First, it had been the dating. Then, the weird adjusting period after they both presented, and then it was only a matter of time before they were bonded. And through all that, Miya had never really been jealous or wanted one of them to spend more time with him. They had been going the extra mile to do the opposite, getting super affectionate with Miya – Reki in particular, with his obsession for reminding Miya his baby scent wasn’t a problem and he could _always_ be close to them, no matter what time of the month it was. 

It was so obvious they were trying too hard that Miya didn’t have the heart to turn them down or mock them for it. And yet, the more they spent time together, the more Miya was dreading the inevitable separation that would happen.

What really hurt was the thought Miya could never have something like that, _like what they had_ ; and that whoever will have had the misfortune to become his mate could never live up to the expectations created by his weirdly affectionate sort-of-adoptive-older-brothers. 

_No, fuck that_ . Miya was never going to have a mate. _“You’ll find your person”_ , his mother kept saying, but Miya wasn’t thrilled _at all_ by the prospective of bumping into a complete stranger, someday, and suddenly turn into a brainless idiot because they smelled a certain way. 

Everyone kept assuring _it was not like in the movies_ , people fell in love because of who they were and no one was chasing strangers down the streets. The fact those words mostly came from people who had met their one true love in high school rubbed him off the wrong way, though.

So, looking back at it, his relationship with _the slimes_ had been nothing but a careful mix of self-pity and poor choices, all wrapped up nicely in one of Reki’s borrowed jumpers so that Miya would never _ever_ find the courage to walk away. He knew Reki and Langa’s enthusiasm when they saw him wasn’t fake, it didn’t feel like it was; but he also knew most of it came from their naturally kind nature and, he suspected, perhaps from some kind of twisted parental instinct, too, a side effect of their bond. It probably wasn’t even _that much_ and Miya was just very good at projecting his own desires – he needed to believe they wanted him around as much as he wished it was true.

That was the core of it. Not jealousy, not bitterness, and no desire to ruin their perfect happiness; just a quiet, sad realisation _he couldn’t possibly matter that much._ Why would he? If he were one of them – smart and gorgeous and in love – he would never keep Miya around for kicks. Then again, Miya was never as kind. 

A few years from now, Miya was going to present and no amount of good intentions or brotherly love would make it okay for the three of them to have snuggle piles or for him to casually wear Reki’s clothes. This thing, this horrible thing he couldn’t control would turn them into strangers and Miya would be alone again.

_Happy fucking birthday to me._

* * *

It did occur to him that all the adults in his life did _not_ go through any major personality change or had overdramatic fights with all their friends. Meaning, that this was all perfectly normal and that it was basically ‘Episode II: Puberty Strikes Back’. 

_Nobody died from growing up_.

But right now, everything fucking hurt, like the last time he raced with Adam and fell from- 

_Oh_ , _no no no._

Miya was so not going _there_ . He was getting ready to spend the evening with the slimes mentioned above and thoughts of _that night_ were absolutely off-limits around them. He went back to focus on packing up a few things, before telling his mum he would probably spend the night at Reki's and waving her goodbye as he left.

(Ah, yes, _the other thing that did not change and actually got worse_ : the crush on Reki he most certainly never had.)

* * *

There was something extra cosy about Reki’s room, that no other place could get quite right. Langa’s was much closer to Miya’s taste, and always welcoming, too, tidy and spot clean, while Miya’s own has been, of course, furnished and decorated to match his personality.

And yet, Reki’s discrete messiness was more endearing than overwhelming, it made the place feel alive and well-loved; the posters on the walls didn’t follow any logic and barely fit (if not at all, some had their corners taped over the adjacent one), but they spoke of Reki’s easily excitable nature; and then, there was the picture, the one that made Miya’s heart melt a little. It had been taken at the end of the second tournament at ‘S’ and they all had a copy. However, while Miya and Langa had theirs framed and put on their desk and living room respectively, Reki kept his copy free and every day more wrinkled, on his bedside table, like those things you need to keep close and touch often.

Miya was expecting to hit a new low every day, and yet, he doubted he could ever top being jealous of a fucking photograph. 

« I’m dying. » Reki interrupted his thoughts with a loud yawn and one of his usual moderate reactions « Man, I worked double shifts all week. I need to sleep. »

Langa shook his head but smiled fondly. Miya was ready to throw in a snarky comment when he realised he was yawning as well. The older boys laughed and Reki gave him a little pat on the shoulder. 

« All agreed. Need something to sleep in? »

« No » Miya mocked him « I love to sleep naked this time of the year. »

« You might consider it. » Langa commented, tone casual, as if he hadn’t just low-key hinted at what sounded like a threesome to Miya’s ears - _and if Miya hadn't known the guy as well as he did_ , _oh_ \- and even felt like elaborating on that « Reki’s extra warm these days. Like, you wouldn’t believe me. »

 _Wanna bet?_ , Miya silently moped, watching Reki blushing a little before kissing his boyfriend. 

As usual, they spent a moment longer just being close and gently rubbed their noses together. They had a bare minimum sense of decency and usually didn’t get into a full-scenting session in front of Miya, but their physical need to mark each other as often as possible was obvious. Miya tried really hard to find it disgusting, but he only found himself sighing quietly and wondering how that felt.

He made his way to Reki’s wardrobe and selected an old t-shirt, refraining himself from smelling it; after all, people _did smell_ even before presenting, people _did have a smell_ in general, so it was only fair he got to enjoy the feeling as long as he could before those stupid extra hormones took over. Ignoring the voice in his own head calling out how pathetic he was, Miya climbed on the bed and curled up in his usual spot on the side.

« Mmm, you okay Miya? » Langa enquired, climbing next to him and getting unnecessarily close to study his face, probably too used to sniff Reki to remember he didn’t have to, with him.

« Sure. »

« Move aside, kitten. » Reki poked him from the other side, forcing him to roll in the middle of the bed so that Reki could lie down next to him « Someone needs to be in the middle tonight. »

 _Fine with me_.

For a moment, Miya wondered how fucking insignificant his grown-up scent was going to be, because he didn’t know any alpha who would literally allow another person – not an adult, fine, but not a kid or a close relative either – between himself and his mate. Perhaps the fact that Langa wasn’t an omega, but a beta and quite a terrifying one, did help. 

The reasoning didn’t really hold up, then again, both boys were gently nuzzling him, and Reki even slipped on arm round Miya to keep him close. _Spooning,_ that was the word for it. Langa kissed the top of his head, wishing him goodnight, then he met Reki’s lips just about over Miya’s head. He was hyper-aware of their movements as well as of their scents, so intense even Miya was fully picking up on the meaning. It was happening more and more often, those days.

He was completely enveloped by their combined scents and Reki’s warm body pressed against his back was somehow contributing to it. Langa wasn’t kidding, Miya felt like he was suddenly catching fire. He opened his mouth to voice his discomfort, maybe to joke about it, but when he heard his own words, he was surprised to find out only a soft moan came out. Reki pressed closer and buried his nose in Miya’s hair – he always did things like that, as if they meant something, although they obviously didn’t.

« Are you sure you’re okay? »

Langa was pressing his palm to Miya’s forehead, now, eyes concerned. Miya moaned again, enjoying the feeling of Langa’s cold hand against his burning skin.

_Burning skin._

In the end, it turned out Miya had a fever.

* * *

« What’s the point of some useless gender test? I got a flu jab, I just wanna go home! » Miya pouted. 

The nurse had left them once again in the room, claiming the results were almost ready.

« It’s just standard procedure. » Langa reassured him. « And I am glad you feel so much better already. »

He was smiling innocently, but Miya knew him well enough to pick up on the subtle sarcasm. Also, Miya was grateful to Langa for keeping the conversation going – he knew it wasn’t something the Canadian would do spontaneously, but Reki had been awfully quiet and they were both getting uncomfortable. Reki was the one who lightened up the mood in a bad situation, however, since they’d found out Miya wasn’t well, he had temporarily turned into a different person. Serious and efficient, he had wrapped Miya in an extra layer of clothing and carried him in his arms to the cab Langa had already called – Miya wasn’t that bad they had to request an ambulance, but they didn’t want him to get worse on the way to the ER. While the nurse was checking his temperature and taking a few blood samples, Reki had remained glued to Miya's side, his eyes so focused on where the woman was touching Miya he could have drilled a hole there; and, after every touch, his fingers had gently brushed over the offended spots, as if the operation couldn’t possibly be complete without his seal of approval.

« Hello Mr Chinen! » the doctor chirped, walking into the room, and she gave the boys a pleasant smile. « All is good, just a few technical information. »

Langa smiled. Miya frowned. Reki just stared. 

She seemed unfazed by their reactions, she’d probably seen it all given her line of work.

« So, let’s see. Mr Chinen, you have indeed a light fever, but I am convinced this is just a side effect of early presenting. We ran a quick test and I can confirm we have assessed your secondary gender. Congratulations, you are an omega. »

« What?! » Miya nearly shouted and jumped up from his seat. 

« Nothing to worry about. There are many, harmless reasons this might happen. The most common situation is that you have been exposed to a potential life-long mate for a prolonged period of time and your body...how shall I put it? We can say there are no valid biological reasons for your body to withhold, especially when your mate, or mates, have already presented.»

Miya looked dumbstruck. He could barely hear the doctor's voice over the roaring in his own head. He might have said that he wished to get this over with quickly, but he didn’t actually mean _like this_. And now, everything was over. No more fooling around with his friends. No more-

« Wait. » Miya heard himself saying, words coming from God knew where « Do you mean I have _already_ met my mate? How do I know who they are? »

The doctor just _blinked_.

She closed the folder she had been reading from up until then and made a very obscure and yet very distinctive movement with her head – something in-between trying to shake off a bad thought and hanging up a call with severe audio issues. Her eyes moved to focus on each of them separately, and then all of them at once, squeezing them into her vision. 

She coughed.

The absurdity of that situation was finally starting to sink in. Three guys, not too distant in age, two of them clearly bonded, and one for each gender, coming to the ER in the middle of the night with no parents, with a case of early presentation. Miya didn’t need a degree in medicine to see what that looked like.

« I apologise for the assumption, although it is not quite an assumption from a medical point of view. Would you say you are, errr » she looked mildly uncomfortable, now, _perhaps she hadn’t seen it all-all_ « close friends? »

« Yes. » Langa replied with no hesitation.

« And have you been spending a significant amount of time together in the past year or so? »

« We have, yes. » 

Langa seemed the only one with enough brainpower left to carry on. The doctor eyed Miya for a moment, clearly not too thrilled about the idea of having a conversation about him with someone else answering the questions; however, between Miya’s painfully shocked expression and Reki’s disturbing silence, Langa probably looked like a bright alternative.

« Then I would say, all things considered, that this is the most plausible scenario. Especially considering the timing. Even if you could think of another close acquaintance that could fit the profile, the fact that you were together when it happened is pretty definitive. And a three-way bond is precisely the kind of strong connection that would work as a trigger. Mind you, a potential truemate is only a suggestion, you are in no way bound to that relationship. In my experience, though, it hardly happens when there isn't an emotional connection already in place. We could _obviously_ run a few more test to verify your compatibility, to avoid any- »

« _There’s no need for that._ » Reki practically hissed.

Miya took a peak of his friend – pardon, _potential life-long mate_ , what the fuck – and found him standing tall, body stiff and slightly bent forward, like a predator ready to attack, with his fist clenched and his lower lip red and swollen as if he had been biting at it constantly until then.

« That’s what I thought. » the doctor replied gingerly, as if Reki’s reaction was some sort of positive development. « I’ll leave it to the nurse to give you a few leaflets and basic pills, suppressants and a generic contraceptive, just in case. I recommend to check with your doctor and find out the type that works best for you. You’re a healthy young man, Mr Chinen, you should get your heat regularly in a month or so, but it doesn’t harm to have a little emergency backup. »

 _Suppressants_.

_Contraceptives._

_Healthy young man._

_Regular heat._

Miya didn’t want any suppressants, he wanted to wake up and find out he had just been dozing off in Kojiro’s restaurant a few days before, after a massive portion of apple cake.

« Miya..? » 

Langa tugged gently at his shirt; only then Miya realised the older boy had been holding on to it the whole time, discrete but supportive. 

« Let’s get out of here. » Reki murmured, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

Miya nodded and followed him, heart heavy in chest.

* * *

They all decided for a walk back to Reki’s place, because walking in awkward silence was still better than standing in awkward silence while waiting for a cab. 

The nurse had showered the three of them with more information, answering question Miya didn’t even think of asking and probably _wouldn’t have_ anyway. Like the doctor had already mentioned, his heats were going to be the plain old kind. The only difference is that his alpha – _Reki, his alpha, Reki was his alpha, Reki was_ ** _his_** _–_ would have welcomed their beta if he’d wanted to join in, and not tried to kill him, for a change. Miya wasn’t going to be _desperate_ for him, but surely his heat would have been much more satisfying with a full happy threesome. The nurse also gave them the usual talk, pointing out that there was no rush to mark Miya, who was still young and could use even a couple of years before taking the step. Miya was ready to lie under torture rather than admit his stomach did a backflip at Langa’s resting bitchface and Reki’s not-so-subtle growl. 

_‘Why does he smell the same, though?’_ , Reki had asked, right before the nurse left.

Good question, Miya had thought. And also _‘why do you?’_. Because yes, Miya was getting more and more aware of _his_ – fuck, he couldn’t even think it without shivering – future mates’ scent, but they were still familiar. There hadn't been any abrupt hormonal u-turn, he hadn’t looked at them and suddenly saw the light; they were still _them_ , scruffy, poorly patched-up and slightly annoying _them_ , and god, Miya loved them with all he had. But still. The sky hadn’t fallen, the world had not exploded. 

Miya didn’t know what to make of it.

_‘Well, he shouldn’t. But science is not perfect. Everything will settle in a few days, there’s nothing to worry about.’_

* * *

It could have been, of course, one of those situations when some intellectual honestly would come in handy. One of those moments when Miya should have raised his hand and said _hey, I know what’s going on, I think maybe that time we don’t talk about started this thing_ or, even more honestly, _I could draw a picture of the moment I fell in love with you because that’s how intense and perfect and real it was, and even though nothing specific happened, I think somehow_ ** _everything_** _happened, too_.

The thing about the crush was that it was a little worse than a crush, at this point: there was the childish infatuation for Reki he’s had since the moment they met, and a natural attraction to that goddam Norse God of his boyfriend who had joined in his first messy sexual fantasies. And then, a certain summer evening, Miya had found himself sort-of-grown up, with the first, terrifying symptoms of a blossoming love. _Actual_ love.

He had not been smart about it. He had allowed the objects of his affection to cuddle him and spoil him and kiss the top of his head at every occasion, and himself to believe this could be how the story went.

So, for the recond, whenever Miya said something on the line of ‘why is this happening’ and ‘I don’t know what’s going on’, he was lying.

* * *

Reki was restless and he hadn’t smiled once since they’ve left the hospital. Watching him was so painful Miya could have sworn his own body ached – that was something they had come to accept, over the past few years, they could read each other’s emotions so well that sometimes it was too much. Miya didn’t know how to put it into words or where it came from, but he remembered, one day, being able to _feel_ when Reki was upset. Right in his bones. 

The younger took off the extra jumper and curled up on a corner of the bed, leaving some space for the others. Langa gently manoeuvred his mate to make him sit on the bed and rubbed his wrist against Reki’s neck. The redhead relaxed immediately, leaning into the touch and tugging at his boyfriend to get him closer. Miya watched in awe as they held each other, doing nothing more than mixing their scents and yet, in a much more intimate way than they’d normally do in front of Miya. Then again, Reki was a bunch of nerves, he probably needed some aggressive snuggling.

Miya hugged his knees and sighed. There was something painful about the sight of them, again, nothing akin to envy, but way closer to a pang of unbearable sadness. He wondered if they’d notice were him to disappear, and the answer popping into his head was the usual – _why would they?_ Science wasn’t perfect, the nurse had said. Thus, science might say whatever about Miya and his potential bond, but it couldn’t know what mattered: that Miya wasn’t someone you could love _like that_. The way someone could love Reki or Langa, who were nothing short of wonderful. Miya was a stray kitten with an attitude and some poorly managed abandonment issues.

His train of thoughts got interrupted by Langa’s scent, exuding a calm so intense Miya instinctively relaxed his muscles. Langa pulled Miya by the hem of his shirt and, when the younger finally scooted closer, he wrapped an arm around his waist, strong and protective. It was pleasant, to be close and inhale Langa’s soothing scent; but he was closer to Reki, too, and the alpha stiffened as he registered Miya’s presence. They were not touching, Langa being the one doing all the work, and perhaps this was the only thing making it bearable, Miya had no idea how his body would react to Reki’s touch. 

And then, Langa was touching Miya’s neck, brushing his fingers against the scenting glands there, and Miya suddenly remembered this was the worst day of his life, that he had no idea how to control his body and that Langa was most likely being nice to him out of pity.

« Stop that! » he jerked away, the panic in his voice quite obvious « I- I don’t want anything to do with that...that stuff. »

Langa tilted his head and gave him a puzzled look in return. However, he backed off politely and allowed Miya to put some space between them on the bed.

« Uhm, Miya? You understand that the doctor said- »

« He shouldn’t be here just because the doctor said so. » Reki suddenly spoke up, still avoiding Miya’s gaze.

Langa raised one single eyebrow and Miya got the chills.

« I am very tired. » Langa informed his boyfriend, slowly and undeniably threatening « But I hope neither of you thinks we’ll be doing _this_ for long. Especially _you_ . » he pointed an accusatory finger at Reki « Have we already forgotten _a certain talk_ about _a certain thing_ that is very important in a relationship? »

« _Communication_. » Reki muttered under his breath, his cheeks slightly flushed.

« Damn right. »

« We got S tomorrow. » Miya sheepishly added « Maybe we should skip...? »

« Nonsense! » Langa exclaimed, his eyes sparkling « That’s exactly what we need. You go to school, we go to work, then we all do some skating and we’ll feel better. »

« ‘lright. » Miya agreed; and then, when nobody made a move to settle into bed « Maybe I should go home for tonight or...something? »

Reki made a sound in the back of his throat, something pleading and commanding at the same time. His whole body was vibrating and the flush on his cheeks was expanding, having reached his neck and possibly everywhere else. Miya swallowed thick and tried not to think of that. Reki’s movements were calculated as he crawled across the bed, as if he wanted to make sure he was in perfect control of each of them before moving, and came to settle around Miya, like they usually slept.

« I think » Langa said with a smile, taking the spot on the other side of Miya « we’d rather you stay. If you want, of course. »

Miya wanted to say _yes_ , but then Reki’s nose tip was nuzzling the back of his neck, rubbing just right above one of his scent gland and sending chills down his spine. Reki let out a content purr and draped an arm across Miya’s smaller figure, reaching for Langa’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

* * *

As he skated through the main gate of the old mine, Miya couldn’t help but feel some sense of relief. His mind was still clouded by a myriad of dark thoughts, and yet, that place would always be familiar to him. They’d all broken a few bones on that track, then again, they had also found each other and become the weird-ass second family they were now. Miya could never _not_ feel at home there.

Reki and Langa were uncharacteristically early – Miya spotted them talking to Joe as soon as he reached the meeting spot. Joe immediately waved at him, a big bright smile on his face. Then, his eyes widened and his mouth turned into an ‘o’ shape. Miya was vaguely aware of the people around him taking half a step back as he made his way to his friends; some dared to give a little sniff in his direction, then backed off. 

« Hey. » Joe greeted him, forcing a polite smile, although his whole person was practically irradiating curiosity.

« _Hey_. » Miya replied, eyes darting to look at Reki and Langa.

Langa gave him a nod and a small grin, as per usual. Miya was grateful that at least one of them wasn’t being painfully awkward about the situation. Reki was trying his best to look unaffected, but Miya caught a dangerous light flashing across the young alpha’s eyes as he carefully followed Joe’s movements. 

« I suppose congratulations are in order. »

Joe grinned and, to everybody’s surprise, he turned to Reki and ruffled his hair affectionately.

« You- you can tell? Everybody can? » Miya asked, his face a pretty shade of red.

« It’s alright, kiddo. There’s nothing weird about that. And I had bet money on the three of you, so, uhm, thank you I guess? Next ramen is on me. »

« How dare you...! » Reki barked.

« Was it that much money? » Langa said at the same time, genuinely curious.

_These two._

_These are my mates. I’m fucked._

Miya couldn’t help but starting to laugh hysterically.

« Well, well, well. Having fun, are we? »

And if there was any doubt left in Miya about being officially an adult, the scent filling his nostrils right now would have sorted them all out. ‘Aggressive’ was the only word for it – hot and spicy, almost burning as he was forced to inhale more. Wow. Maybe there was something cool in being able to read people just like that.

« Hello, Miya. »

« _Adam._ »

« You smell _so nice_ , as I’ve expected. Shame on me for not keeping an eye on you. »

« I wish I could say the same. » he snapped.

Adam chuckled and leaned forward so that Miya was forced to take in more of his scent. For the first time in his life, he understood why people _growled_. He was ready to bite, too, although the idea of his mouth close to Adam’s skin wasn’t a pleasant one. However, none of that mattered because the second Adam moved, Reki was plastered to Miya’s back. 

« _Hi,_ Adam. »

Most threatening ‘hi’ in history. 

The snarling in his voice was unmistakable. Reki had seemed reluctant to do anything with Miya so far, but right now a neon sign reading ‘ _mine’ would_ have been more discrete than his scent. He still wasn’t touching the younger omega, and yet, Miya felt completely enveloped by it. 

If Langa hadn't joined them, giving Adam ‘the look’ – somehow, Langa was still the only one able to make him behave – Miya was certain there will have been blood. Adam threw them a final glance, before taking a step back.

« Alright, Snow. We should race again sometime soon. »

« Yeah, why not. » Langa agreed, years of broken bones still leaving him completely unfazed in front of more mortal dangers.

« See you around, boys. » 

Adam couldn’t help but grinning at Miya once more. The younger bared his teeth – hooray for his first proper growl! – and did his best to make his scent as hostile as possible, still a bit unsure of how that worked. And then, he felt Reki’s arm sliding around his body while the alpha sneaked his left arm under Miya’s jumper, rubbing his wrist against the curve of Miya’s hipbones, letting his glands do their work. 

Miya opened his mouth to moan but nothing came out. His body was _on fire_ and there was no air left in his lungs, it was _all Reki_ and that deliciously overwhelming scent. _How did Langa manage to survive this every day?_

Adam retreated immediately – even the man wasn’t that stupid to pick up that sort of fight for shits and giggles. 

Miya stood there, relieved, confused and mildly aroused. He’d never seen Reki in full alpha mode before and the sight made his blood boil, awakening something that’d been buried deep inside of him. His fingers reached for the hem of his hoodie, like he was in a trance, and rubbed his own wrist over Reki’s. Behind him, the alpha made a whining sound and took a step back.

* * *

It was a time as good as any – _more lies, it was now or never_ – to think about the last time he raced against Adam. He was still bitter about the first tournament, for not being able to have a rematch after he lost on the first, crazy competition. Then again, that one was something else entirely: back then, Adam was still obsessing over Langa, who was pining over Reki, who was being...well, _Reki_. 

Fun times indeed.

Miya had been on edge all summer. Reki and Langa suddenly presenting at the same time had thrown him off-balance, and Kojiro’s attempts at being a supportive father figure still weirded him out. Naturally, a beef with Adam seemed the only logical solution.

Miya rarely skated recklessly, the way Langa or Adam did. He was skilled, precise and took only calculated risks. He skated to win, not to break his neck. Until Adam started teasing him, getting too close and hinting at his infamous move – the Love Hug, he’d never tried that on Miya before. Something had snapped inside Miya, mostly anger and frustration, but at the same time, a deep, dark desire to see how hard he could crash before breaking. So, he hadn't backed off.

The world around them went quiet, save for one, distinct voice calling out his name – _Reki?_ – and for a moment his body seemed immune to gravity. Miya had watched Reki going through that very same motion, and yet, nothing could have prepared him for the paralyzing fear that took over. A series of thuds brought him back to reality and he was only vaguely aware that was the sound of his body hitting the ground repeatedly. 

Miya rolled on his side, coughing blood and gasping for air. 

« What a shame. » Adam’s voice was close, too close for his taste; and there was something else about him that wasn’t there before, foreign and unpleasant, that made him wrinkle his nose.

« Get _the fuck away from him._ » somebody else literally growled at Adam.

And Miya _knew_ it was Reki, although he didn’t sound like Reki at all. But he _felt_ like Reki. There was something just as weird as the feeling of having Adam nearby, but also something _opposite_. Despite the pain and the blood, Miya understood he was safe. He was _always_ going to be safe, from now on. Reki kneeled next to him and Miya could swear the other boy was irradiating warmth. 

« _It’s okay_. » Reki was picking him up, his movements careful and his voice impossible tender « I got you. You’ll be okay. »

And Miya believed him.

* * *

Miya blinked.

_That was it._

« Just take a deep breath, okay? » Langa was saying.

The world was back into focus. Langa was rubbing circles on his mate’s back and brushing his nose against Reki’s temple.

« Miya, are you alright? » the beta called him, gently. 

« Not particularly. » Miya replied, almost startled by his own honesty.

Miya still hadn’t turned to look at them. He was afraid of what he might see on Reki’s face. There was no doubt he _remembered_ , too. 

« This was such a bad idea. » the alpha blurted out.

Rejection was supposed to hurt, Miya's rational brain knew that much; and yet, was it supposed to feel like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest? Was he supposed to want to do nothing but collapsing on the ground and cry himself into oblivion? Because that was what it felt like. 

« This was such a bad idea. » Reki’s voice echoed in his head once more « We- we can’t do this. »

_What._

_What are you saying-_

« Ok. » Miya replied, instead.

He felt numb. Reki must have taken another step back and, somehow, Miya could sense that distance even more than he’d felt his presence.

« _Reki._ » Langa scolded him, always lovingly, but not less severe for that « Why would you say something like that, mh? »

« _Because_ I am not going to be _that person,_ okay? I am not going to fucking _bark_ at people who look at Miya the wrong way or tell him what he can or cannot do! » 

« _But you always do that_. » Miya heard himself screaming, tears finally rolling freely from his eyes.

Reki looked as if he’d been struck by lighting.

« _You always do that_. » Miya repeated, softly this time « You are overprotective and have no sense of personal space. You pinch my cheeks and ruffle my hair even if I tell you not to, because somehow you know that I don’t mean it. You are terrified of Adam, probably more than I am, but you would go for his throat in a second if he just looks at me. Because somehow _you know_. And that has nothing to do with- » Miya shut his eyes and sniffed loudly « -with _this_. »

« Miya- »

« I- I’ve felt like this for a long time. And I know you’ve felt it, too. I don’t think anything is going to change. I think it already did and we were just too dumb to notice. »

« Well. » Langa sighed « _You_ are a bit dense when it comes to these things. »

« He’s the worst. » Miya pouted.

« Hey! » Reki protested, but he seemed almost back to his normal self. 

Miya rubbed his wet cheeks with the sleeve of his jumper, then looked up at Reki, eyes still shining from the tears and lips trembling. Reki smiled that precious warm smile of his and opened his arms to welcome Miya. 

« We got a lot to make up for. » Reki murmured in his hair.

Miya snuggled closer, finally pressing his nose into the crook of Reki’s neck, inhaling his alpha’s scent. It was quite different doing this now, happily wrapped up in his arms, safe and content, then when they’d both been on edge: Reki’s scent didn’t have the same soothing quality to it proper to Langa’s, but Miya felt a pleasant tingling sensation slowly taking over his whole body. This was _right_. 

Then, Langa gave a gentle scratch to the back of his neck, and Miya just outright _purred_. 

Maybe it was time to get their asses back home.

* * *

Home had never felt better.

They didn’t even try and pretend to start a conversation or do anything else but launching themselves on Reki’s bed, like three exhausted puppies on a giant cuddle pile. Miya, of course, had earned his rightful spot in the middle, with Reki as the big spoon as per usual and Langa planting gentle kisses all over his face and neck. Miya was in Heaven. He seriously doubted this could be his life for a prolonged period of time, he couldn’t think of a single reason to move from that bed ever again, and surely, it wasn’t a sustainable way of living. 

« _You still smell like you_. »

Miya just turned to look at his alpha, stunned. His beautiful amber eyes were lucid with unshed tears that Reki promptly pushed back when they met Miya’s.

« I was terrified something would change...that you’d feel different, somehow. It was so stupid, I know, but I couldn’t help it. »

There were so many things going on inside Miya’s head. He wanted to tell Reki that was the furthest thing from stupid; that Miya had been just as terrified; and that none of that matter anymore, because _it wasn’t like in the movies, it was a thousand times better_ and he had indeed fallen in love with them not despite them being idiots, but precisely because of that.

Instead, he simply rolled on his stomach and bared his neck. Reki pressed a gentle kiss right above his pulse point, taking in Miya’s scent, then proceeded to swipe his tongue over his glands, occasionally nibbling at the sensitive skin there - a promise of what was going to happen, sooner than later. _A couple of years my ass,_ Miya thought, moaning appreciatively at the feeling of Reki’s teeth sinking into his flesh, still a gentle bite, nothing permanent, but enough to give him a taste of how it felt to be marked by his alpha. _Fucking amazing_. 

Eventually, the trio dozed off, limbs all entangled, Reki’s nose still pressed to the crook of Miya’s neck.

All was well. 

He was never going to be alone again.

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly reminder that in this house we do not hate on Adam, we stan and appreciate a scary villain who makes the plot interesting and the show worth watching just as much as the good guys ♥♥♥ and we love and support all shippers ♥♥♥ 
> 
> Just a quick note about Langa: like most quiet characters, I think it’s not easy to make his feelings come across as much as Reki’s when it isn’t his POV. On top of that, I have specifically chosen this ABO dynamic with the 3 of them because I feel it is the closest to the way I see their romantic interactions – for instance, I can’t really imagine Langa being overprotective and jealous of Miya the way Reki is. I don’t believe you need to have the exact same type of interactions with all the people involved in a relationship for it to work, and I don’t think the relationship would be unbalanced because of that. All to say, I know Langa has a bit of a background role in here, but I see Miya and Reki as very loud and overdramatic when dealing with _their_ relationship. Langa loves them both very much, hopefully I’ll manage to get something from his POV during the series :3


End file.
